Dino-Copter (Show)
This page is for the original Dino-Copter cartoon, "Dino-Copter." For an overview of the series see: Dino-Copter (Series). For a full list of Dino-Copter episodes, see Dino-Copter Episode List. Production Dino-Copter started as a part of the Tooney Bunch Power Hour airing on CBS in 1973, and was created by Ernest Lublin and Howie Anderson. Entertainimation co-founder Howie Anderson has said on the creation of Dino-Copter: "We already made two segments for Tooney Bunch. People told us you needed more than that for a variety show so we figured we'd better add a third segment. I remember we actually thought of Dino-Copter in a Denny's. I had ordered a breakfast item despite it being fairly late in the evening. Uh, it was actually two eggs over-easy that they had overdone and a side of bacon. bacon was pretty good." Lublin has gone on record saying: "We weren't too sure about this whole cartoon thing, so when we thought of an action show about helicopters I said, 'That don't make no sense! Why would a kid ride around in a helicopter, it ain't allowed! Nah, the helicopter's gotta be a dinosaur,' and it really sorta snowballed from there." Upon the creation of the pilot movie (which was later broken up into the first three episodes) Lublin and Anderson pitched the show to a number of television networks. It was eventually picked up in September of 1973, premiering on November 8th of the same year. Animation Process Where most animation studios at the time were animating on cels, and outsourcing production of the animation overseas, Entertainimation pioneered several techniques, which allowed them to keep production of the show in the country. Wax Animation As Lublin and Anderson had experience in the hot dog industry, they had a much different perspective on the animation industry than most other studios at the time. Rather than use expensive cels and cel paints, they found they were able to use household wax paper treated with water used to boil hot dogs to achieve a similar consistency. This, paired with their ingenious use of in-studio manufactured paints, kept production costs much lower than most studios were able to manage. The long-term negative effect of this technique ended up being that the wax cels were much less durable, so very few remain today. Plot Dino-Copter follows the adventures of Danny and Dino-Copter as they battle against the evil Dr. T Wrecks and the insidious Rigor Mortress. The pilot begins with the mysterious disappearance of Danny's parents, which leads to him being taken in by a mysterious scientist. When he arrives at the scientist's house, he finds it abandoned, save for the amazing half-dinosaur, half-helicopter, Dino-Copter. Danny and Dino-Copter team up to try and find out what happened to his parents, and along the way clash with Dr. T Wrecks, who becomes enamored with the possibilities of the Dino Power-Core inside of Dino-Copter. They eventually defeat Wrecks, but Danny's parents aren't found by the end of the pilot, and are rarely mentioned in future episodes of the show. The show continued for eight seasons and 222 episodes. Characters The Good Guys Danny Danny is the series' hero, who joins forces with Dino-Copter to help fight the evil Dr. T Wrecks. Danny is a normal, all-American boy, who loves adventuring and having fun. Danny finds Dino-Copter in a spooky house, soon after his parents suddenly vanish. The two quickly become friends, but soon many villains appear who want to get Dino-Copter. Danny ages in real-time with the series, and as he enters his teenage years many episodes center around more serious themes. Danny became a progressive symbol for the times and he experiences many common "teen" issues such as eating disorders, bullying, mental illness, and drug addiction. Many episodes also explore the relationship between Danny and Dino-Copter. Along with Dino-Copter, Danny is the only consistent element of every Dino-Copter series.